The next day, I took my time getting ready. Once I was done getting cleaned up, we headed to the auction house. Surprisingly enough, the hall was completely clean. There was no evidence of the event yesterday. I made my way up to the front desk, and let the person working know who I was and why I was there. A few minutes later, I was being led into a back room. Tenebris and Sanaa kept on my shoulders as we waited for someone to join us. The office we were in was identical to the one from before the auction. There was a single chandler above us with candles that smelled a little like cinnamon. We waited for ten minutes before the door opened. I turned and smiled politely as the man from the last time entered. I searched my mind for his name, but either he hadn’t told me or I had somehow forgotten.

“Greetings young lord. I am glad to see you are in good health.” He flashed a brilliant smile and then took his seat on the other side of the desk. “I hope you were pleased with what was available.?”

I nodded. “It was very interesting. The goods were more than worth it. I thank you for allowing me to attend and for getting my Chameleon Basilisk egg sold. It shows a true dedication to your craft.” I decided to lay the flattery on a bit heavy.

“Of course. We are thankful you decided to sell it to us. It was an excellent specimen. If you don’t mind revealing where you got it?”

“I found it in a tomb. The mother had recently taken up residence. I dealt with it and managed to keep the egg.”

“Sounds like a situation of great fortune for you. I am happy to see that you survived the situation. From what I have heard, you have been very helpful in dealing with issues in the city. I am told you solved the situation with the missing people?”

I nodded. “I did. It was a very unpleasant situation, but I am glad that I was able to help.” I hesitated for a moment before deciding to broach the reason that I had come here. “I had intended to collect the revenue and whatever gold I hadn’t spent at the auction. Would that be possible?”

The man nodded and clapped his hands together. A second later, the door opened, and another man entered. He was a tall procidean with long and curled tusks. In his hands, he held a metal treasure box. The procidean nodded to me before placing the box on the desk.

“We were forced to change the form of the currency. The amount of gold bars you provided and the amount you spent would have required us to get creative with the division of bars. I hope that isn’t an issue?”

I shook my head before reaching forward, undoing the clasp, and opening the box. The box was filled with two types of coins. They looked a bit like poker chips or the coins you would see in a history class or at a museum. The first one was a shiny silvery white metal. They were half as big as the gold coins. I picked one up and found it to be slightly heavier than the gold ones. The notification prompt revealed they were platinum coins. I didn’t even know you could make coins out of platinum. I placed the coin back in the box and pulled out the last group. The coin was a yellowish-white color that gave the coin an aged look. The prompt revealed they were electrum coins. Electrum was an alloy if I assumed that it was the same as what was on earth. I placed that coin back into the box before closing it.

“We were able to do the conversion in both platinum and electrum coins. I know that electrum has fallen out of popularity in recent decades, but I assure each coin is appraised and together the total is equal to what you would have from your bars. The purity of the gold you provided was impressive, which only helped to make the exchange process more difficult.”

I nodded as the man spoke. Before I could ask my next question, Sanaa crawled down my arm, leaped onto the table, and took one of the electrum coins into her claws. The two men froze as she flew into the air with her prize. She spun and twisted like a fish in the water. I checked in through our bond and smiled. The little dragonette liked electrum. I made a mental note to give her more of the coins if I could, but let her play with her new treasure. I turned my attention to Tenebris, who had no interest in either the platinum or the electrum.

“Not interested?” I communicated through our bond.

“They are too bright. I do not like them.” His response was straightforward. I wasn’t sure if there were any obsidian coins or ebony coins, but I would keep an eye out for them. I wasn’t going to give the pair my fortune, but if I could keep them happy by giving them the occasional gift, why wouldn’t I do it?

“I assume that means your friend is happy with the arrangement?” The merchant’s voice pulled me out of my inner musings.

“Ah yes, this is fine. It will make traveling with all of them much easier. If you don’t mind my asking, can I have your name?”

“You may call me Vamir. I am glad we could conduct some business. If there is anything else you need, please do not hesitate to ask.”

“You can call me Galib, young Lord.” The procideans voice was deep. Almost to the point where it sounded altered.

I nodded to both of them and placed the box in my ring. Once that was taken care of, I stood up. I looked both men in their eyes. “I am short on time due to an engagement I must keep later tonight. I thank you both for your hospitality and kindness.” Once I had finished speaking, I called for Sanaa to take her place and made my way out of the office. Sanaa reluctantly gave up her prize so I could place in the ring.

“That was unlike you?” I telepathically questioned her as we exited the building.

“Pretty coin.” I waited for her to add something more to that, but she didn’t. After a minute, I decided to leave it alone.

The journey back to the lodge was fairly short. I noticed that people didn’t avoid us as much. Before walking through felt like being at a zoo. People gawked but also gave me a wide berth. I was pretty sure that we were because of my Tenebris and Sanaa, but now people were willing to get closer. Still not quite close enough to be touched, but close enough that it wasn’t as noticeable from a distance. I flashed a small smile to the people who were willing to catch my eye. Once we arrived at the lodge, I sat down and gathered my clothing. I decided that it would be best to wear my formal clothing to the dinner. I decided to wear the enchanted Otaba. Between all the items I was already wearing and the bonus enchantment provided by the outfit, I should have a bit of an advantage. It should also help a person like me a bit more. Being liked by foreign leaders was always a good thing, after all. With that decision made, I turned my attention to what would come next. I hadn’t heard anything from the people in charge of the arrangements for the settlement. I would need to check in with them soon. I would also need to coordinate travel and get our mounts back.

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There were probably many other things that I wasn’t considering that would have to be done. Regardless, it wasn’t anything I could deal with right now. The rest of the day went by quietly. When Zakia arrived, we set out to the innermost ring of the city. This area was the most heavily guarded. There were guards adorned in everything from cloth to a variety of metals. They wielded nearly every weapon imaginable. I prepared to explain who we were but didn’t need to. A guardsman with twin swords on his hips called us to follow. We settled into pace behind him until we reached a three-story stone house. The door held the roaring face of a lion. They made the door out of stone, but the carving looked life-like. Almost as if the lion would pull itself off of the stone and attack at the slightest provocation.

The stonework was beyond impressive. When the doors opened, I pulled my focus back to what was going on. Two more guards had joined us. Both of them were human, from what I could tell. They carried pole arms with wickedly curved blades on the tips. Both of the guards were men and were big. They both looked like professional athletes. Both were shorter than me but not by too much. I flashed the stoic guards a smile.

“They are here to meet with the Lord.” The guard escorting us spoke out loud. The two men nodded before parting. We walked past them, and I had to resist the urge to look back. Once we were past them and into the building, I took a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.

“Stay close to me.” The guard said before striding forward. He led us through the main atrium down a side hall filled with the pelts of creatures I had never seen before. One creature looked like a T-Rex with bone armor. It became clear that I was swinging above my weight class right now. I wasn’t sure that I could beat any of the guards in a fight, let alone whoever owned this place. Finally, were led into a large feast hall. The room held a stone table piled high with food. There was meat, vegetables, fruit, and beverages as far as the eye could see. The guard gestured to the table, and we took a seat across from each other. Once we were seated, the guard bowed and left.

“Looks like we found someone willing to spend more money than you, after all.” Zakia’s voice held a small bit of wonder as she looked around.

“I think this is going to be a very interesting conversation.” I turned my attention to the doors at the head of the room just as they began to open.

Two beings entered the room. The first was a lion. The lion was the most beautiful animal I had ever seen. Its fur was a golden color that looked like strands of sunlight. The lion was majestic and intimidating. It was nearly twice the size of a normal lion and stood with an aura of majesty. The lion was only overshadowed by the man. He was slender, athletic, and built like a martial artist. He lacked armor and weapons, but it was clear that he didn’t need them. He had a salt-and-pepper beard that made him look distinguished. He wore long black and red robes with the head of a lion over the right breast. He took a seat at the head of the table. He looked at both of us before letting out a bellow of a laugh.

“So you two are the people causing such a stir? The master of a Place of Power and an Ifrit warrior? There are many things I would like to know about the two of you. First, please eat your fill.” He waved to the banquet before leaning back in his seat.

I froze for just a moment before smiling. I assumed he recognized the symbol on my back. Which meant that he was either a fellow Suzerain or very knowledgeable about them. “I am happy to make your acquaintance.”

Zakia was a bit less subtle. “I had heard you were strong enough to fight an army on your own. Is that true?”

“Well, I don’t know about an army, but I can handle myself. I have been told about your matches in the arena. I must say I am impressed. I think with a bit of training, you would be a sight to behold. Do you have any affinity with unarmed combat?”

Zakia shook her head. “I have an affinity with dual wielding and swords. I can cast a bit of Pyro magic, but nothing notable.”

I listened to the pair go back and forth like that for several minutes while taking the chance to enjoy some of the food. Once they had finished going over the details of one-on-one combat, he looked over at me.

“So I am told that you are recruiting people for a settlement? You even managed to get the auction to announce it?”

I smiled before nodding my head. “You are correct. I hope that isn’t a problem. I don’t intend to steal your citizens or anything like that.” Before I could continue, he held up a hand.

“No worry, the situation is the opposite. I am not sure if you are aware of the current situation?” I shook my head, and he continued. “We are currently dealing with multiple hytal incursions. They haven’t gathered enough people to be a threat to any of the Free Cities, but surrounding villages and towns have struggled. The result is a crisis in the making. Those who survive the raids have been forced to flee to the surrounding cities, including Afrium.”

I nodded along as he explained, though I had a feeling I knew where he was going with this. I selected my words carefully. “It sounds like you are offering to help me. There are many new people in need of homes and you have realized that I need people.”

He chuckled at that before waving his hand. “There is no need for the flowery language. We can speak plainly with one another. We are struggling to provide housing to everyone. Their number and state of being makes them a drain on morale and loyalty. Considering that your settlement is likely empty or at least with limited amounts of people, I want you to take as many as you can.” He held up his hand to stop the unasked question. “No, I am not forcing anyone to leave. I want you to take as many people as you can by convincing them. I will give my approval to your undertaking, which should further legitimize you in the eyes of the people. I will also provide you with an airship to transport them all. I have also arranged for a sage to join you.”

Before I could ask any of the myriad of questions going through my mind, a prompt appeared.

You have been offered the Quest: Homes for the Homeless.

The raids by the Hytal on neighboring settlements have led to the beginnings of a refugee crisis. The Lord of Afrium has requested your aid in dealing with the problem. You have been tasked with the recruitment of citizens by the current Lord of Afrium.

Success Conditions: Recruit as many people as possible from amongst the refugees and citizens of Afrium.

Reward: Colonists for the City of Radiance.

Penalty For Failure or Refusal: Unknown

Do you Accept: Yes/No?

I accepted the quest. I was a bit worried about the penalty for failing, but it didn’t seem like I could fail. As long as I recruited at least one person, I should complete the quest. It also sounded like the “Sage” was going to be given to me now. Once I made my decision, the man began to speak.

“Good, now I will have the ship ready for transport in two days. I have instructed the captain to take you wherever you need to go and then to return. If there is anything you need to do before leaving, I would recommend you take care of it before then.”

“What is a Sage?” I asked before I could stop myself.

He looked at me for a moment before clapping his hands. The door behind him opened and two people stepped into the room. The first was an older man with light brown skin. The man’s head was shaved, and he was wearing a thick set of glasses. He was slightly hunched over with age. He wore robes similar to the Lord’s, black and red, with the insignia of a lion over the right breast. The other person wore simple sandy brown robes. She was statuesque, around six feet in height. I guessed she was in her early thirties. Her robes lacked the lion or any adornments. She had thick, curly black hair that sat on her shoulders. Both of them bowed to the Lord and then to me and Zakia.

“This here is Okeli and his apprentice Amara. Okeli has been my advisor and ally for well over thirty years. He has been training Amara for the last ten. I will not go into detail about Sage’s and their order. I am sure that Amara could answer any questions you may have. It is time for her to find a Lord to serve. I believe that the two of you would do good work together.”

I looked at the Lord, then at Okeli, and finally at Amara. None of them seemed even the slightest bit surprised by the situation, which told me they had already discussed this. I ignored the growing irritation at being manipulated like this and took a breath. It was clear that this was still for my benefit. I had no idea what the hell a “Sage” actually did, but it seemed like it would only help me.

“I am beyond thankful for the kindness you have shown me today. It would honor me to have whatever assistance Amara can provide.”